Carter's Home Run Helps Tides End 5-game Skid

NORFOLK — In an effort to help break a five-game losing streak, Tidewater Manager Mike Cubbage had third baseman Tom O'Malley take the lineup card out to the umpires before Sunday's game with Buffalo.

Actually, all Cubbage needed to revive the struggling Tides was for Gary Carter to remember how to hit.

With an uncommon flair for the dramatic, Carter did just that. He swatted a three-run homer in the sixth inning in his last at-bat as a Tide, powering Tidewater past the Bisons 4-2 at Met Park.

"That home run meant a great deal to me," said Carter. "It's not like I've been ripping the cover off the ball here."

Indeed, Carter finished his five-day rehabilitation stint here with three hits in 16 at-bats, a .188 average. He is scheduled to rejoin the Mets Tuesday when they play Pittsburgh.

Until his home run Sunday, Carter appeared to be struggling at bat. His timing was off and he hit the ball into the air a good bit.

But with one swing, Carter got healthy in a hurry.

"Gary's hit a lot of big home runs, home runs on opening day and in the All-Star game," said Mike Cubbage. "But I think he'll remember this one for a while.

"The guy has had a great flair for the dramatic his entire career. It's nice to see he still has that capability."

Carter admitted the homer was a nice way to bow out.

"It feels great," he said. "It's nice to know that the Mets' guys (he and Barry Lyons) could win at least one game while they were here."

Despite his problems at bat with the Tides, Carter seemed convinced his hitting would eventually come around.

"I wasn't really concerned with the way I was hitting," said Carter. "In a way, this was like spring training all over again for me. I was just trying to get my timing back.

"But that last at-bat was important. I made a conscious effort to widen my stance a little so I wouldn't jump out at the ball as much. I guess I was a little too anxious. I'm happy to see it worked out."

The first batter in the sixth went down as Buffalo starter Morris Madden, who had allowed only two hits to that point, seemed in complete command. But Keith Miller singled and Jeff McKnight walked, bringing Carter to the plate.

He quickly fell behind two strikes and no balls. Then Madden wasted a pitch outside before delivering a slider which Carter drove deep to left-center field.

"He had missed with a breaking ball the pitch before," said Carter. "He came right back with the same pitch and I was fortunate enough to catch it just right.

"That was probably the first ball I pulled hard all my time down here. I think that's a good sign to finally be able to do that. Hitting is such a fractional thing anyway. You miss by an eighth of an inch and you're dead."

Buffalo's Madden maintained the pitch which Carter hit was not a bad selection.

"It was a slider that wouldn't stay down," Madden said. "I'd throw the same pitch again in that situation."

Carter said he expects to be in the starting lineup when he is reactivated Tuesday.

"That's my impression," he said. "I just hope I can help out. I don't think they expect me to hit a lot at first. They have a lot of good hitters up there - Howard Johnson, (Dave) Magadan, (Darryl) Strawberry, (Kevin) McReynolds.

"I think they can carry me for a while. I'll just try to help the pitchers and contribute anything I can offensively."

He was all the Tides needed offensively Sunday.

NOTES - With Carter and Lyons leaving the Tides, the Mets are sending catcher-first baseman Phil Lombardi back to the Tides tonight in Buffalo ... The Mets still have to make a player move to get Lyons and Carter on the roster and are expected to move Lee Mazzilli